Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether consultation has taken place with Historic Scotland regarding alterations to existing buildings and additional building works at Dungavel House.

Allan Wilson: I have asked Graeme Munro, director and chief executive of Historic Scotland, to answer. His response is as follows:

  "Historic Scotland has not been consulted as the planning authority South Lanarkshire Council do not consider that listed building consent is required for works being carried out at Dungavel House."

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are likely to be made for South Lanarkshire Council social work department’s involvement with residents of the Immigration detention centre at Dungavel House.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for South Lanarkshire Council. Additional information is available in answers to questions S1W-17739 and S1W-17996.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement the Scottish Prison Service will have with refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland in this financial year.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Home Office immigration service is responsible for refugees and asylum seekers and such matters are reserved. The Scottish Prison Service has housed such individuals, mainly in Greenock Prison. However, with effect from 3 September the process began of transferring such individuals from prison to the newly opened Dungavel immigration facility for which the Home Office is responsible.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17739 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 September 2001, on what dates South Lanarkshire Council and the social work services inspectorate have met the immigration service to discuss future working arrangements in connection with the immigration detention centre at Dungavel House and whether such meetings have included discussions in relation to any devolved functions other than social work.

Nicol Stephen: Officers and members from South Lanarkshire Council have met with representatives of the immigration service on a number of occasions in the last year to discuss safety, health and educational arrangements. Strathclyde police and Lanarkshire NHS Board and the primary care trust have also been represented at meetings. Social Work Services Inspectorate has been in correspondence and telephone discussions with the immigration service, department of health and South Lanarkshire Council about standards of care for children.

Charity Law

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a charity law bill and, if so, when.

Mr Jim Wallace: After the report of the McFadden commission was published on 9 May, we invited comments on the recommendations. This consultation will end on 30 September. In the meantime, the performance and innovation unit (PIU) of the Cabinet Office has announced a review of the voluntary sector at a UK level. This may have relevance for Scotland. The consultation responses will therefore be considered alongside any recommendations from the PIU. We aim to publish a comprehensive response to the McFadden report as soon as possible thereafter. Any bill that may follow this will have to take its place alongside other competing priorities in the legislative programme.

Compulsory Purchase

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what compulsory purchase powers exist and whether it will detail each occasion on which such powers have been used in the last ten years, giving the cost in each case.

Lewis Macdonald: Compulsory purchase powers are contained in general Acts of Parliament. They are available to government departments, most government agencies, local authorities, bodies with statutory obligations, bodies subject to a regulator and other bodies who have obtained compulsory purchase powers by way of a provisional order.

  There is no central register providing information on the number, type, cost or use of compulsory purchase orders.

  Research aimed at establishing how the compulsory purchase system operates in Scotland and identifying ways of improving its operations, has recently been published by the Scottish Executive. A copy of the research entitled, Review of Compulsory Purchase and Land Compensation is available on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk.

Crofting

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crofting communities there are and what the average size of a crofting community is.

Ross Finnie: The phrase "crofting communities" is a generic term, describing communities involved in crofting and located on or associated with crofting land. Like other communities, the areas and numbers of people included may be as wide as one decides e.g. one could talk about the crofting community of the Highlands and Islands, or of Skye, or Balmacara.

  The draft Land Reform Bill provides a means of defining a crofting community for the purposes of the Bill. It is not known how many communities in crofting areas could meet that definition or what the average size of such a community might be.

Crofting

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crofters there currently are.

Ross Finnie: No exact figures are recorded, but we believe there are around 12,000 tenants and owner-occupiers of crofts, who together with families amount to around 30,000 people resident on crofts.

Dairy Produce

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken or plans to take to promote milk.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is actively promoting the importance of a healthy and balanced diet. Milk makes an important contribution to children’s’ diets. Thus, £380,000 per annum is provided through the health improvement fund as a top-up subsidy to support the provision of milk in primary schools.

Dairy Produce

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken or plans to take to ensure that milk production is adequate.

Ross Finnie: I am not aware of any shortage of milk at this stage but my officials are liasing closely with the Scottish milk industry to ensure the situation is kept under regular review.

Education

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools there are in Scotland, broken down by local authority, and how many of these have offered technological studies to certificate level on an annual basis since 1997.

Mr Jack McConnell: According to the 2000 census, there are 449 secondary schools in Scotland. The distribution across each local authority is shown in the table. In 2000, 228 schools offered technological studies at standard grade, intermediate 1 and 2, higher grade and certificate of sixth year studies. The following tables provide details of the number of schools presenting pupils for examinations in technological studies since 1997 at these different levels. Information on the geographical spread of presenting schools is not held centrally.

  Secondary Schools in Scotland by Local Authority

  


EA code 
  

Authority 
  

Publicly funded 
  

Independent 
  

Total 
  



100 
  

Aberdeen City 
  

13 
  

6 
  

19 
  



110 
  

Aberdeenshire 
  

16 
  

0 
  

16 
  



120 
  

Angus 
  

8 
  

1 
  

9 
  



130 
  

Argyll and Bute 
  

10 
  

1 
  

11 
  



150 
  

Clackmannanshire 
  

3 
  

1 
  

4 
  



170 
  

Dumfries & Galloway 
  

16 
  

2 
  

18 
  



180 
  

Dundee City 
  

10 
  

1 
  

11 
  



190 
  

East Ayrshire 
  

9 
  

0 
  

9 
  



200 
  

East Dunbartonshire 
  

9 
  

0 
  

9 
  



210 
  

East Lothian 
  

6 
  

2 
  

8 
  



220 
  

East Renfrewshire 
  

7 
  

1 
  

8 
  



230 
  

City of Edinburgh 
  

23 
  

14 
  

37 
  



235 
  

Eilean Siar 
  

13 
  

0 
  

13 
  



240 
  

Falkirk 
  

8 
  

0 
  

8 
  



250 
  

Fife 
  

19 
  

3 
  

22 
  



260 
  

City of Glasgow 
  

30 
  

8 
  

38 
  



270 
  

Highland 
  

28 
  

1 
  

29 
  



280 
  

Inverclyde 
  

8 
  

2 
  

10 
  



290 
  

Midlothian 
  

6 
  

0 
  

6 
  



300 
  

Moray 
  

8 
  

2 
  

10 
  



310 
  

North Ayrshire 
  

10 
  

0 
  

10 
  



320 
  

North Lanarkshire 
  

26 
  

0 
  

26 
  



330 
  

Orkney Islands 
  

6 
  

0 
  

6 
  



340 
  

Perth & Kinross 
  

10 
  

8 
  

18 
  



350 
  

Renfrewshire 
  

14 
  

1 
  

15 
  



355 
  

Scottish BORDERs 
  

9 
  

1 
  

10 
  



360 
  

Shetland Isles 
  

9 
  

0 
  

9 
  



370 
  

South Ayrshire 
  

9 
  

1 
  

10 
  



380 
  

South Lanarkshire 
  

21 
  

2 
  

23 
  



390 
  

Stirling 
  

7 
  

2 
  

9 
  



395 
  

West Dunbartonshire 
  

7 
  

0 
  

7 
  



400 
  

West Lothian 
  

11 
  

0 
  

11 
  



 


Total 
  

389 
  

60 
  

449 
  



  Source: SEED Schools Census - Sep 2000.

  Number of schools offering certification in Technological Studies 1997-2000 by level

  


 


1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Standard Grade 
  

295 
  

267 
  

233 
  

205 
  



Higher Grade 
  

179 
  

156 
  

152 
  

139 
  



CSYS 
  

16 
  

15 
  

15 
  

12 
  



Total 
  

303 
  

281 
  

246 
  

228 
  



  Notes:

  1. To ensure comparability, intermediate 1 and 2 are not included as they were introduced for the first time in 2000.

  2. Figures for higher in 2000 include both SCE and NQ higher.

  3. The total is not the sum of the different levels, as many schools offer more than one level.

Elections

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of local election polling stations do not have access for disabled people.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants were made under the powershift programme or related schemes to convert (a) private and (b) commercial vehicles to (i) liquid natural gas and (ii) liquid petroleum gas in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Rhona Brankin: The information required is set out in the table, provided by the Energy Saving Trust, which administers the powershift programme in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive.

  

Powershift grants (number of vehicles) 
  for liquid petroleum gas by private and commercial vehicles 
  since 1997. 
  



Number of vehicles 
  



Local Authority 
  

Private 
  

Commercial 
  



 


1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

Total 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

Total 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

6 
  

0 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

6 
  

11 
  

0 
  

17 
  



Angus 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

4 
  



Dundee City 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

7 
  

6 
  

7 
  

0 
  

20 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

4 
  

11 
  

0 
  

15 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  



East Lothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Edinburgh City of 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

11 
  

0 
  

12 
  



Falkirk 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

3 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

46 
  

0 
  

48 
  



Glasgow City 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

0 
  

3 
  

2 
  

0 
  

243 
  

47 
  

3 
  

295 
  



Highland 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

1 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

3 
  

0 
  

4 
  



Inverclyde 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Midlothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Moray 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

12 
  

0 
  

12 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

16 
  

0 
  

16 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  

0 
  

3 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

22 
  

0 
  

23 
  



Scottish BORDERs 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

2 
  

4 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

9 
  

2 
  

0 
  

11 
  



Stirling 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

7 
  

7 
  

0 
  

14 
  



West Lothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

13 
  

0 
  

16 
  



Total 
  

0 
  

0 
  

7 
  

23 
  

3 
  

33 
  

2 
  

8 
  

285 
  

218 
  

5 
  

518 
  



  Powershift grants (number of vehicles) for liquid natural gas by private and commercial vehicles since 1997.

  


Number of vehicles 
  



Local Authority 
  

Private 
  

Commercial 
  

 


 




 


1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

Total 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

Total 
  

 


 




Edinburgh City of 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

 


 




Total 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made regarding any possible reduction in grants for commercial vehicles under the Powershift programme from 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has made no such representations.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of hospital cleaners to patients has been in (a) Scotland as a whole and (b) each health board area in each of the past 10 years.

Susan Deacon: The information is not available in the form requested.

Hepatitis

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take with regard to the announcement by Fife Health Board on 22 August 2001 of the death of a patient from hepatitis B contracted from a doctor.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answers given to que stions S1W-17772 and S1W-17908 on 1 October 2001 and 18 September 2001 respectively.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16824 by Jackie Baillie on 2 August 2001, whether, following stakeholder consultation, an appropriate local authority could be considered as a potential landlord for transfer of Scottish Homes properties within that local authority’s area of operation.

Jackie Baillie: Local authorities are free to bid to acquire Scottish Homes’ stock.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers by Jackie Baillie to questions S1W-16905 and S1W-16904 on 6 and 7 August 2001 respectively, whether the remit of the working group to look at the detailed impact of the withdrawal of Section 54 (tax relief grant) on housing associations will include consideration of an alternative funding mechanism for major repairs.

Jackie Baillie: The working group will examine the impact of the withdrawal of section 54 grant and, in particular, the effect on repairs programmes. The group is not precluded from considering alternative mechanisms for funding such repairs programmes in the future.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16839 by Jackie Baillie on 3 August 2001, how many of the listed members of the (a) housing interests group, (b) working group on single social tenancy, (c) short life right to buy working group, (d) working group on implementation of part 2 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, (e) homelessness task force, (f) single housing plans group and (g) Scottish Homes steering group are paid officials of the organisations referred to and how many are board members, committee members or equivalent.

Jackie Baillie: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16839 by Jackie Baillie on 3 August 2001, whether payment in any form is made by it to the organisations or individuals listed in respect of their involvement in the various working groups and task forces.

Jackie Baillie: Apart from travelling expenses, which have been paid to only one individual from the lists, no payments are made to the organisations or individuals listed in respect of their involvement in the various working groups and task forces.

Justice

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out, or intends to carry out, any investigation or research into restorative justice.

Mr Jim Wallace: Restorative justice can be defined as the process whereby the parties involved in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath. In particular, it aims to involve the victim and the offender in discussing the implications of the crime and possible forms of reparation.

  Elements of restorative justice appear in various current initiatives. The use of mediation and reparation services in certain cases of diversion from prosecution is an example of restorative justice in practice. We also expect many of the youth crime review programmes to have strong restorative justice elements in the light of the increased emphasis on the victims of crime.

  The Scottish Executive funded and evaluated the SACRO young offenders mediation and reparation project in Kirkcaldy in Fife. A report was published in 2000.

Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it had to the review of tribunals recently undertaken by Sir Andrew Leggett.

Mr Jim Wallace: The review undertaken by Sir Andrew Leggatt dealt primarily with tribunals operating in reserved areas. Officials of the Scottish Executive maintained contact with the Lord Chancellor’s Department throughout the review process. They contributed information and advice to the review team about tribunals operating in reserved areas in Scotland, and the need to take account of the distinctive nature of the Scottish civil justice system.

Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to respond to the consultation paper Tribunals for Users published by the Lord Chancellor’s Department on 16 August 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive does not plan to issue a formal response to the consultation paper. Officials will, however, continue to discuss with relevant officials in the Lord Chancellor’s Department, arrangements for taking forward consideration of the policy options and issues arising from the Leggatt report. The purpose of this contribution will be to ensure that whatever proposals for change ultimately emerge serve the needs of the people of Scotland and are consistent with the principles of the Scottish civil justice system.

Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to carry out a review of Scottish tribunals which operate in devolved areas.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are at present no plans to conduct such a review.

Justice

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14011 by Neil Davidson on 21 March 2001, whether it is yet able to make a statement on the Lord Advocate’s review of prosecution policy in relation to test purchasing of age restricted goods by children.

Colin Boyd QC: My review of prosecution policy in relation to test purchasing of age related goods is now complete and I am consulting with colleagues regarding the result. I intend to make an announcement on the matter shortly.

Land Reform

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of establishing a core path network, whether extra countryside rangers would need to be employed as a result of the establishment of the network and, if so, what the estimated cost of the extra rangers would be.

Mr Jim Wallace: With regard to the cost of establishing core paths I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O - 3689.

  We anticipate that the implementation of a right of responsible access will require the employment of additional access officers and rangers, but this will vary from local authority to local authority. Scottish Natural Heritage is currently working on estimates of the additional staff required to implement a right of responsible access. The work of these staff will not be limited to core paths.

Land Reform

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates will be the annual cost of upkeep of the proposed core path network.

Mr Jim Wallace: We propose to place a duty on local authorities to establish core paths following consultation. The cost of upkeep of core paths will depend on many factors including the extent of the network; the ratio of new to existing paths; the overall level of use; and the relative use by different categories of user. This uncertainty means that it is difficult to estimate at this stage, the likely annual cost of upkeep, but we have asked Scottish Natural Heritage to address this issue and to advise us in due course.

Land Reform Bill

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any distinction is made between a bridleway and a footpath in the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Mr Jim Wallace: The draft Land Reform Bill makes no distinction between a bridleway and a footpath. However, under section 20 and 21 of the draft Bill, local authorities would have powers to delineate paths for particular purposes. For example, paths could be delineated for use by pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders or any combination of these users. These powers would also allow core paths to be delineated for different use.

Legal Aid

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the operation of civil legal aid.

Mr Jim Wallace: The operation of civil legal aid and its interaction with other parts of the justice system are kept under constant review. Necessary changes to the scheme, whether by primary or subordinate legislation, are presented to the Scottish Parliament for consideration and approval. The financial limits are generally increased on an annual basis in line with benefits increases.

  I await with interest the forthcoming report of the Justice Committee 1 into legal aid and will consider any proposals for change that the committee may recommend.

Legal Aid

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the eligibility rules for civil legal aid.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have no plans to change the three tests set out in the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986, namely probabilis causa, financial eligibility and reasonableness. The detailed financial tests are generally uprated annually in line with changes in social security benefits

Legal Aid

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there were for civil legal aid in each of the last five years and how many applications were granted in each of these years.

Mr Jim Wallace: A detailed analysis of the applications for civil legal aid in each year is set out in the annual report of the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The board’s report for 2000-01 was laid before the Parliament on 18 July.

Legal Aid

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review civil legal aid remuneration rates for solicitors.

Iain Gray: My officials are presently in preliminary discussions with the Law Society of Scotland about civil legal aid remuneration.

Local Government Elections

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of local election polling stations have adjustable shelves for disabled people.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the fire brigade has been called out to each Scottish prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock, during (a) daytime and (b) night-time in each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Comprehensive information is not recorded centrally and could not be assembled except at disproportionate cost.

Public Transport

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to make it possible for public transport operators to introduce through ticketing, especially for those travelling by rail and bus.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive announced a five-point action plan on through ticketing on 18 March 2000. Since then the plan has been subsumed by the transport direct initiative, in which the Scottish Executive is committed to playing a full part. Transport direct is a UK national project which aims to deliver integrated traveller information and ticketing.

  The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 includes provision to enable local authorities to determine what ticketing arrangements should be made available in their area as regards local bus services, and to make a statutory ticketing scheme if it is not possible to make those arrangements available on a voluntary basis with bus operators.

  The Scottish Executive’s consultation paper Strategic Priorities for Scotland’s Passenger Railways makes clear that the Scottish Executive will encourage train operators to work with providers of local bus services to issue a single ticket to cover the use of bus and train.

Recycling

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how recycling is defined for the purpose of measuring the performance of local authorities in relation to the disposal of household waste.

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Accounts Commission for Scotland. I understand that the commission is currently reviewing performance indicators including the one for refuse recycling.

Road Accidents

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents took place at the Holmston roundabout in Ayr in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah Boyack: The number of personal injury accidents in each of the last 10 years (1991-2000) on the A77 trunk road at Holmston roundabout, Ayr is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Fatal 
  

Serious 
  

Slight 
  

Total 
  



1991 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



1992 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



1993 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  



1994 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  



1995 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

2 
  



1996 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



1997 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

3 
  



1998 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  



1999 
  

0 
  

2 
  

2 
  

4 
  



2000 
  

0 
  

0 
  

5 
  

5 
  



Total 
  

1 
  

2 
  

14 
  

17

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17547 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, which organisations have had staff on loan from the Scottish Executive in the period May 1999 to July 2001.

Angus MacKay: Further to the answer provided to question S1W-17547, I can confirm that the following organisations had staff on loan from the Scottish Executive in the period May 1999 to July 2001:

  Audit Scotland

  Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

  Cabinet Office

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Foreign and Commonwealth Office

  Forestry Commission

  HM Treasury

  Home Office

  Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

  Office of Fair Trading

  OFSTED

  OFTEL

  Prime Minister’s Office, Downing Street

  Royal Botanical Gardens

  Scottish Court Service

  Scottish Environment Protection Agency

  Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission

  Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17547 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, which organisations currently have staff on loan from the Scottish Executive.

Angus MacKay: Further to the answer provided to question S1W-17546 and not S1W-17547 as stated, I can confirm that the following organisations currently have staff on loan from the Scottish Executive:

  Cabinet Office

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Foreign and Commonwealth Office

  Forestry Commission

  HM Treasury

  Home Office

  Office of Fair Trading

  OFTEL

  Prime Minister’s Office, Downing Street

  Scottish Environment Protection Agency

  Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17545 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, which organisations the 17 staff whose salary costs it is meeting are on secondment to.

Angus MacKay: Further to the answer provided to question S1W-17545, I can confirm that the organisations of the 17 staff currently on secondment whose salary costs are being met by the Scottish Executive are as follows:

  European Commission

  Glasgow Employer Coalition

  Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland

  Prince’s Trust Volunteers Scotland

  Royal Society of Edinburgh

  Scottish Business in the Community

  Scottish Chambers of Commerce

  Scottish Civic Forum

  Scottish Council for Development and Industry

  Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

  Scottish Financial Enterprise

  Scottish Power

  Western Isles Council

  Young Scot

  The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise all pay a contribution towards the salary costs of the secondment.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17545 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, which organisations the 91 staff whose salary costs the receiving organisation is meeting are on secondment to.

Angus MacKay: Further to the answer provided to question S1W-17545, I can confirm that the organisations of the 91 staff currently on secondment whose salary costs are met by the receiving organisation are as follows:

  Cairngorm Partnership

  Common Services Agency

  European Commission

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Lord President’s Office

  Lothian Health

  Meat Hygiene Service

  Public and Commercial Services Union

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Archive Network Project

  Scottish Arts Council

  Scottish Chambers of Commerce

  Scottish Council for Development and Industry

  Scottish Criminal Records Office

  Scottish Financial Enterprise

  Scottish Football Association

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  Scottish Parliament

  Scottish University for Industry

  Sportscotland

  Strathclyde University

  The Household of HRH The Prince of Wales

  West Lothian NHS Trust

  The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise all pay a contribution towards the salary costs of the secondment with the balance met by the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations any staff who have been on secondment during the period July 2001 to September 2001, and whose salary costs have been met by the receiving organisation, have been on secondment to.

Angus MacKay: The organisations of the staff on secondment during the period July 2001 to September 2001, whose salary costs are being met by the receiving organisation are as follows:

  Cairngorm Partnership

  Common Services Agency

  European Commission

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Lord President’s Office

  Lothian Health

  Meat Hygiene Service

  Public and Commercial Services Union

  Royal Bank of Scotland Group

  Scottish Archive Network Project

  Scottish Arts Council

  Scottish Chambers of Commerce

  Scottish Council for Development and Industry

  Scottish Criminal Records Office

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Financial Enterprise

  Scottish Football Association

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  Scottish Parliament

  Scottish Qualifications Authority

  Scottish University for Industry

  Sportscotland

  Strathclyde University

  The Household of HRH The Prince of Wales

  West Lothian NHS Trust

  The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise all pay a contribution towards the salary costs of the secondment with the balance met by the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17548 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, which organisations the 27 staff who were on secondment during the period May 1999 to July 2001, and whose salary costs it met, were on secondment to.

Angus MacKay: The organisations of the staff on secondment during the period May 1999 to July2001, whose salary costs were met by the Scottish Executive, are as follows:

  Community Learning Scotland

  COSLA

  Fair Play Scotland

  Glasgow Employer Coalition

  Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland

  MacMillan Cancer Relief

  Prince’s Trust Volunteers Scotland

  Quality Scotland

  Royal Society of Edinburgh

  Schlumberger

  Scotland Against Drugs

  Scottish and Newcastle

  Scottish Business in the Community

  Scottish Chambers of Commerce

  Scottish Civic Forum

  Scottish Council for Development and Industry

  Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

  Scottish Financial Enterprise

  Scottish Power

  Western Isles Council

  Young Enterprise Scotland

  Young Scot

  Scottish and Newcastle, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise all paid a contribution towards the salary costs of the secondment during the period stated.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in conjunction with Scottish Natural Heritage, it will consider extending Access Management agreements to cover salmon spawning grounds.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Natural Heritage and local authorities have powers under Section 49A of the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 to enter into management agreements to preserve or enhance the natural beauty of the countryside or to promote the enjoyment of the countryside by the public. These powers already apply in respect of salmon spawning grounds.

  The provision relating to access agreements in Section 13 of the 1967 Act could also apply in enabling access to areas used by salmon for spawning. The need for access agreements will disappear with the introduction of a right of responsible access and, therefore, our intention is to repeal that section in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Scottish Water Authority

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appointments of the chief executive and chair of the new Scottish Water Authority announced on 8 August 2001 complied with the relevant principles in the report of the Nolan Committee.

Ross Finnie: The prospective chair and chief executive of Scottish Water have been identified by interview processes involving an independent assessor, in line with guidance from Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). In respect of the post of chair, which falls within the Commissioner’s remit, OCPA gave prior approval to a closed competition; in the case of the Chief Executive, which falls outwith OCPA’s remit, the same considerations applied.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what checks are in place to ensure that all private sector involvement, financial or otherwise, in social inclusion partnerships is provided by companies with an established and independently assessed record of ethical investment and best practice, particularly in terms of their overseas policies and global operation.

Ms Margaret Curran: Any checks on those involved in local regeneration activities are a matter for individual social inclusion partnerships to determine locally.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many petrol stations currently receive local authority funding to provide (a) liquid natural gas and (b) liquid petroleum gas, broken down by local authority.

Sarah Boyack: This information is not held centrally.